Vali Höll signed her first sponsorship contract at the age of 13 with YT. She won two world championship titles in the junior class for the Forchheim-based direct-to-consumer brand before switching to the Sram-Rockshox Factory Team in 2019. Vali Höll will return to her first sponsor in 2024 and compete in the World Cup for the YT Mob alongside Irishman Oisin O'Gallaghan and Australian Sian A'hern. Her workhorse: the YT Tues carbon big bike.
FREERIDE: As a world champion, do you still have role models in biking?
Vali Höll: Not in biking, but in other sports. For example: skiers Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Suprine.
You've changed teams. You'll be riding for YT in 2024. Did the team from Forchheim offer you the most money?
No, I had the best feeling with YT. I had several good offers.
Changing teams is probably a big change.
I've been involved in the same structure for the last three years, I've won all the titles you can win in the elite class. The Rockshox-Sram Factory Team was a mega good team for young riders. But now I need slightly different opportunities to develop further. I've been with YT before. YT was my first ever sponsor. YT's values, ideas and vision are a good fit for me. I also know everyone there well and know that the chemistry fits. I took Greg, my physio, with me from the old team. He's also my psychologist. I think the team vibe and the people are crucial. According to the motto: happy team - happy racer! Of course, I also have to feel comfortable on the bike. That's why the change of team wasn't too much of a change.
>> What else is going on in the world of professional riders? In our article on the MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDER CAROUSEL 2024 you will find out
Rachel is "bad ass" - I get on very well with Rachel
Who are your biggest opponents in 2024?
Little has changed in the last three years. Camille Balanche, Miriam Nicole, Nina Hoffmann, Rachel Atherton when she comes back, Tahnée Seagrave when she's well. And then there are all the young guns! It's not going to be easy to finish on the podium this year.
Do you think series world champion Rachel Atherton will be back?
She can't make up her mind yet, it seems to me. I think it's super cool for women's sport that she's doing something like this as a mum. She's a role model for all women, but there's also a hell of a lot of risk involved. Rachel is a bad ass - I get on really well with Rachel.
You were on Team Trek. Have you ever ridden with the style titans Emil Johansson or Brandon Semenuk?
I was on the Rockshox-Sram race team, Trek was just the frame supplier, so I had nothing to do with the Trek riders. No, I didn't ride with Emil or Brandon.
Based on your riding style, I suspected that you had freeride genes.
Mmmmh, not really. My riding style might be a bit new-school style. That's because I grew up in the bike park and love jumps.
Young riders like Phoebe Gale are super stylish on the road.
That's new school! It won't be easy to make it to the podium in the 2024 World Cup. - Vali Höll
Is there anyone who inspires you with their style - Kade Edwards, Semenuk, Brage Vestavik?
Nah, I can't think of any of these guys who would inspire me. Not a freerider at least, I'm too focussed on racing for that.
And among the racers?
I don't care what the men do. I concentrate on myself. There are also different styles among the women. More old school like Miriam Nicole and Racel Atherton. Or the young female riders like Phoebe Gale, who are super stylish.
If the UCI makes the hard cut with 30 men and only 10 women in the final, our sport might die out
What is your favourite track in the World Cup?
Val di Sole, because that's where it really gets going. But I actually associate good memories with all the tracks, so none of them stand out.
What do you think of the new format in the World Cup?
That suits me well. Personally, I'm quite strong there. But whether it's good for the sport, I don't know. If the UCI makes the hard cut with 30 men and only 10 women in the final, our sport might die out. Because then there will only be elite teams, unless a European Cup is introduced soon. I also think that there are far too few races. And the communication between the UCI and us riders is simply non-existent. The athletes in a race series like this are the product that is being sold. The riders should be involved in the rules and format. I think it's a huge shame that we athletes are so ignored by the organisers.
Are you interested in the Red Bull Hardline?
Yes, but the risk of injury is high. I want to concentrate on the World Cup.
What are you most looking forward to when the racing season is over?
I'm looking forward to finally spending time with my friends. In other words, the normal life of a 22-year-old. I'm looking forward to skiing and partying and not biking. I must have not been on my bike for a month and a half during the off-season.
And what are you looking forward to when the bike season starts again?
To the routine. I need a routine and a schedule. Then I know exactly what I have to do when and where I have to be. I am a person who really needs structure. If I know when the first race is, I can fully prepare for it. That's the goal and that's what counts. It's like doing homework at school.
You need a lot of self-discipline for this.
True, but the successes help. When you win races, motivation comes easily. Winning is a mega feeling, it spurs you on. If I do what my coaches tell me, it brings me one step closer to winning. In the end, it's down to luck and ten thousand other factors, but if I do my homework, I'm well on course.
You're also a "park councillor". What are your favourite moves?
I want flow. Just having fun with friends and shredding trails. I don't specifically work on moves or my style. My style is there, it develops and changes. But I don't specifically try to ride stylishly. I ride the way I ride.
I can hear people talking about me or saying my name in the lift queue
Which parks do you like to go to?
Unfortunately, I'm rarely at home in summer. That's why I can't say I have a favourite park. When I am at home, I like to ski in Saalbach, Leogang and Schladming.
In the bike park, I'm sure it often happens that your Red Bull helmet attracts attention and the guys have to prove themselves to you?
Logical. Especially in the lift queue, I hear people talking about me or saying my name. I find that unpleasant. I don't like so much attention. I'm a quiet person and prefer to be in the background. I don't like being in the limelight, it takes a lot out of me. I prefer to do my thing and then disappear again quickly. It often happens that people in the park stop where I stop and then drive on again when I drive on. Then I think to myself: "Yes, say something, talk to me, I'm only human." It's mostly boys who do that. They're weirder. Girls are more daring, they talk to me and ask if they can go for a ride.
The first thing you do when you get home to Austria?
Not talking to anyone, sleeping in my own bed and eating Kasnocken.
Can you do everything better than your father by now?
Probably not arguing. (laughs). I'm 22 years old, so I don't spend as much time with my parents and therefore have less contact with my father.
You have a younger brother. Is it difficult for him when his sister is downhill world champion? No, he's not interested in sport at all. I think he's much cooler than me. He does his own thing - he's a computer nerd and knows everything. He's super smart and I admire that much more than what I do.
What is your favourite thing to do apart from biking?
Skiing.
When are you happy?
When I'm at home and have the people I like around me.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
